Greek Octopus Salad

So I don't forget...

lettuce

Octopus (pre-cooked from Costco)
feta cheese
cucumber

tomato

tapenade (or chopped olives)

picked red onions

basil 

oregano

olive oil

lemon juice

white balsamic vinegar

New Jambalaya

After years of making things one way, things sometimes get shaken up.

Husband and elder son had Jambalaya at Cajun Kitchen. It was a saucier melange, served over a scoop of rice rather than having the rice cooked in.

I hunted a few recipes, and Rachael Ray's Everything Jambalaya fit the bill. I left out the chicken, because shrimp and sausage are just right, in our opinions.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan 
1 tablespoon butter 
1 pound boneless, skinless white or dark meat chicken 

3/4 pound andouille, casing removed and diced 

1 medium onion, chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 

1 green bell pepper, chopped 

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried 

several drops hot sauce or 2 pinches cayenne pepper 

2 to 3 tablespoons (a handful) all-purpose flour 

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice 

1(14-ounce) can or paper container chicken stock or broth 

1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) cumin 

1 rounded teaspoon (1/2 palmful) dark chili powder 

1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) poultry seasoning 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 pound medium shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled (ask for easy peel at fish counter) 

Coarse salt and black pepper 

Chopped scallions, for garnish 

Fresh thyme, chopped for garnish 

2 cups enriched white rice  

Cook rice to package directions. Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and butter to the pan. Cube chicken and place in hot oil and butter. Brown chicken 3 minutes, add sausage, and cook 2 minutes more. Add onion, celery, pepper, bay, and cayenne. Saute vegetables 5 minutes, sprinkle flour over the pan and cook 1 or 2 minutes more. Stir in tomatoes and broth and season with cumin, chili, poultry seasoning, and Worcestershire. Bring liquids to a boil and add shrimp. Simmer shrimp 5 minutes until pink and firm. Remove the pot from the heat and place on a trivet. Ladle jambalaya into shallow bowls. Using an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of rice on to the center of the bowlfuls of jambalaya. Sprinkle dishes with salt, pepper, chopped scallions, and thyme leaves. 

Æbleskiver